Help WWII veterans return where they served

Our names are Florent Plana and Jenny Post, and in spring of 2022, we were very fortunate to interview WWII veterans Cletis Bailey and Robert Moran. With your help, we would love to be able to bring these two men back for a week in December 2022, to the places where they fought during the Battle of the Bulge. 

During the Second World War, both Cletis and Robert joined the military at a very young age in order to do their part in the fight against Nazi tyranny and to help liberate Europe. It’s been 78 years since both of them fought in that terrible conflict, and they wish to return for the first time to see the same places where they engaged in combat and lost so many friends during the terrible winter of 1944/1945.

Robert Moran, 97, bravely served with the 15th Field Artillery Battalion of the 2nd Infantry Division in 5 campaigns in Europe and saw his first combat in Normandy after his unit landed on Omaha Beach. During the Battle of the Bulge, the German Ardennes offensive on December 16th, 1944, forced the 2nd Infantry Division to withdraw to defensive positions near Elsenborn Ridge, where the German drive was halted. The conditions of combat were terrible due to the cold and the strength of the German counterattack; many men from the 2nd Infantry Division sadly lost their lives. This trip will allow Robert to visit the places where he fought during this terrible battle and where the 2nd Infantry Division paid a heavy price for freedom.

Cletis Bailey, 96, bravely served in the 333rd Infantry Regiment, 84th Infantry Division and arrived in Europe as a young replacement during the winter of 1944/1945. He was assigned to K Company and saw heavy combat in Germany in 1945. On February 7, the division assumed responsibility for the Roer River zone, between Linnich and Himmerich, and trained for the crossing of the Roer River which took place on 23 February 1945.This trip will allow us to take Cletis back for the first time to the exact location where he saw his first combat and where he crossed the Roer River 77 years ago.

This trip will also allow Cletis and Robert to visit several American cemeteries and visit the final resting place of some of their friends and men they served with during WWII.

The money we hope to collect will cover the expense of two veterans and their guardians, one of which is a nurse.

Airfare: $5,000

Lodging: $1,500

Food: $900

Transportation: $600

Any amount you can give would be greatly appreciated and will go towards helping two American heroes return, for the first time, to the place where they saw intense combat in the winter of 44/45.